The 'That Guy' Encyclopedia, Letters A Through K

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Hey, isn’t that...? You know, that guy. The guy that always plays someone in the military. He was in, uh, Syriana, The Kingdom... Oh yeah! He was the father of the emo kid in American Beauty!

Throughout cinematic history, there has been a plethora of actors that, for some reason or another, never become a household name. So here is a cheat sheet of sorts, a brief encyclopedia on "That Guy."

After reading this you can impress your friends! Win the movie game (the one where you name an actor, someone names a film he or she was in, next player names another actor in that film, etc.)! Fill your brain with information that would otherwise be wasted with mathematics, history, and foreign languages!

By the way, "that guy" described in the opening paragraph is Chris Cooper.

The Middle-Eastern Comedic Relief in Stargate, The Mummy, and Mr. Deeds, AKA Erick Avari
As long as there is a need for an older ethnic man with impeccable comedic timing, Erick Avari has a job.

The Old Russian landlord in the Spider-Man Series, AKA Elya Baskin
With the looks of a grizzled Russian, the Latvian native Baskin has also played one in Air Force One and Thirteen Days.

Irish terrorist or the First Good Guy to Die, AKA Sean Bean
Although Sean is slowly becoming more of a household name and on the verge of "graduating" from this list, he continues to either be that unstoppable adversary (Goldeneye, Patriot Games) or the first friend to tug at your heart strings when he expires (Equilibrium, Fellowship of the Ring). He was one of the few to actually survive Troy (in the movie and career-wise). Many refer to him as "Boromir."

Deliverance Victim, Villainous Man in a Position of Power, AKA Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox has been in one of the best movies with stop-motion violence (RoboCop) and one of the only films to feature a chick with three boobs (Total Recall). Thus, he has his visage ingrained in the mind of men in their 20s and 30s today.

Lumbergh in Office Space, AKA Gary Cole
Sure, Gary Cole has been in many other movies, but he will never be remembered more for anything else than sipping a coffee and holding a disembodied leg while shirtless.

Nefarious Old Man and Voice Actor For Despots, AKA Brian Cox
Even though he has played plenty of lovable dads, Brian Cox is usually remembered for being Hannibal in Manhunter, one of the evil old guys in Bourne Identity, and the evil old guy from X2. His voice is very popular thanks to dark, gritty roles in video games like Killzone and Manhunt.

"My Boy Blue," AKA Patrick Cranshaw
Despite acting for over 40 years, Cranshaw will posthumously be known as his Old School character Blue, especially during his cameos in movies like Best in Show and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.

The Military Man with an Awesome Voice, AKA Keith David
In the few times Keith David has actually shown up on film, he has usually been some sort of militant character. His voice has become very recognizable thanks to work in popular video games (Halo, Saint's Row, Mass Effect), TV series (several Ken Burns documentaries), and those Navy commercials. He's also known in some circles as the guy that fought Roddy Piper in They Live.

Mustachioed Mobster and Cop, AKA Dennis Farina
Currently best known as one of the latest to leave Law & Order, Farina's career is full of captains, lieutenants, and names beginning with "O'." He is now the host of the new "Unsolved Mysteries" series that debuts in October on Spike.

Cocaine-Using Executive from Robocop, AKA Miguel Ferrer
Ferrer is best-known for his bloody demise as a hooker-hiring, cocaine-snorting executive that began the RoboCop project in the movie of the same name. He has since appeared, quizzically, in Hot Shots! Part Deux and as the guy that cuts the blank check in kid movie Blank Check. He has also been in short-lived TV series Twin Peaks and Bionic Woman.

The Man With the Glasglow Smile, Tommy Flanagan
Flanagan has a skill for playing a man that has gone through the unimaginable – because he actually has. A mugger left him for dead after cutting his face up similar to a Glasglow smile: knife cuts from the sides of the lips upwards towards the ears. Since then he has taken up acting and has seen no reason to hide his past horrors with makeup or prosthetics, making him the perfect choice for playing in period movies and gangster films. He has starred in FaceOff, Gladiator, Alien vs. Predator, Sin City, and Smokin' Aces.

"Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns," AKA Paul Gleason
Ever since playing Richard Vernon in The Breakfast Club, Gleason’s career pretty much consisted of him reprising that character, although he got one reprieve when he played a villainous character in Trading Places.

Villain and Tough Guy Hero, AKA Michael Ironside
He exploded heads in Scanners, lost his arms in Total Recall, and was the teacher-turned roughneck in Starship Troopers. Ironside also voices the main character Sam Fischer in the critically-acclaimed video games series Splinter Cell.

There are a few notable departures from the realm of "That Guy." A graduation, if you will, to the heights of people actually remembering your name - for better or for worse. Thus, I'm going to end each digest of "That Guy" entries with one that has notably left the list. Our first: